History of The Confederation of Boholanos of USA and Canada
By : Flory Gulle
It all started in Alameda, California during the observance of the Golden Anniversary of Bohol Circle Inc. There could not have been a better place to start a confederation of Boholanos in USA and Canada considering that the Bohol Circle is the oldest Boholano organization if not one of the oldest Filipino organization in the U.S. At the planning stage of the Golden Anniversary, it was conceived to invite Boholano organizations in the United States. Through the leadership of its president Olympic Galon, the organization decided to hatch the plan as conceived with the purpose of getting acquainted with the rest of the Boholanos from other places.
On September 20 , 1986 prominent and great Boholano leaders from the West Coast of United States such as Olympic Galon, Rene Sumodobila, Loly Dano, Susan Maquindang, Alex Verano, Randy Gallardo, Fernando Albaran and many others gathered in the building owned by the Bohol Circle in Alameda, California. A convention was organized and the delegates elected Rene Sumodobila as the chairman. The convention deliberations produced outstanding accomplishment such as 1) Approved a set of convention rules 2.) Adopted a name for the organization as Confederation of Boholanos, non political in nature and open to all Boholano Organizations, at first only within the US and then later included Canada and individuals who do not belong to an organization for lack of locally organized association. 3) Introduced an official flag, 4) Adopted Awit sa Bohol as official song, 5.) Decided to have a follow-up convention in Los Angeles, California the following year.
In August 1987 , the follow-up convention was held at the Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles, California. Mr. Loly Dano was elected as chairman and invited Mnsgr. Felix Zafra, Bishop of the Diocese of Tagbilaran as the guest speaker. At this convention, it was decided that conventions be held every two years contemplating in mind that the intervening separation will give ample time for the delegates to prepare for travel between states and countries. At this meeting, parochial thinking confined only two vice presidential positions allocated in favour of the northern and southern California regions but expanded later to the present 10 regional vice presidents representing different regions of USA and Canada. The meeting also produced a decision that guaranteed hosting a convention in northern or southern California in case of failure to hold the same in another place. This prompted Johnny Torralba, then president of the Circulo Boholano of Illinois to declare his intention to host the next convention in Chicago.
Since its birth in Alameda California, the confederation took baby steps in completing itself as an organization and continued to hold its second biennial convention in Burr Ridge ( Chicago area ) Illinois. For the first time it elected a complete set of officers during which Loly Dano of Los Angeles, California was elected as president. The convention also elected four regional vice presidents representing northern and southern California, the Midwest and Canada. The guest speaker then was Gov. Constancio Torralba of Bohol province. Mr. Loly Dano then appointed lawyer Victor de la Serna to chair the committee to draft the constitution.
The third biennial convention was held in Don Valley, Toronto, Canada on Augusrt 4 - 6, 1991 chaired by Sunny Sunga and Loly Dano. This was sponsored by the local Boholano Organization in Toronto. Miss Edna Grajales of Scarborough, Ontario, Canada was crowned as the first Confederation Queen. The guest speakers were Governor Constancio Torralba and Congressman David Tirol. The work of De la Serna committee on the constitution ( entitled Articles of Confederation) was completed and the delegates voted to ratify it.
The fourth biennial convention was held in Meadowlands, New Jersey on August 6 to 8 , 1993. There were four important resolutions passed by the assembly chaired by Atty. Bernardo Mag-aso and Florencio Gulle. Behind the scenes, an agreement was forged between the medical mission to Bohol led by Dr Ramie Cadag and Dr. Pepe Recitas. At this convention, Mr. Roldan Sarmiento Sr. of Michigan was elected president.
The winning bid for the fifth biennial convention was Dearborn, Michigan hosted by Boholano sa Michigan Inc, (BOSAMI) led by its president Nemie Udtohan. During this convention , Dr. Nick Lopez was elected president. Dr. Lopez launched a project code named Bundle of Joy in which boxes of clothing were sent to deserving recipients in Bohol.
The sixth biennial convention was held in Houston, Texas on August 1 - 3 1997 sponsored by Bohol Association of Texas Inc. (BATI) This convention in Texas attracted a deluge of delegates from Bohol headed by then Governor Rene Relampagos. Dr. Nick Lopez was reelected, the first for reelecting a sitting president. Inspired by the huge number of delegates from Bohol he boldly proposed to the Council of Leaders ( the policy making body of the confederation consisting of the presidents of the member organizations and the appointed and elected officers of the confederation) to hold the next biennial convention in Tagbilaran City on July 19-25 1999. The proposal was overwhelmingly approved. At this time, Dr. Nick Lopez introduced two major events: The first Miss CONBUSAC Beauty Pageant and the first Ten Outstanding Boholanos in USA and Canada. (TOBAC) For the beauty pageant, he appointed Ms. Nena Migrino and Dr. Conrado Marapao Jr. to chair the event with Drs. Rhine and Chelo Pamaong as members while Ms.Susan Maquindang was named to head the Outstanding Boholanos Committee. Miss Armie Mariano representing Ang Kaliwat Bol-anon sa Florida won the title of Miss CONBUSAC. The beauty pageant fund raising event afforded the confederation to donate eleven brand new computers to different high schools in the province of Bohol.
The seventh biennial convention in Tagbilaran City took a lot of work for planning and coordinating between the governor of Bohol and the Mayor of Tagbilaran City. Dr. Nick Lopez appointed Bernardo Mag-aso a lawyer, educator and politician as the overall coordinator. At this moment in time, Mr. Chandra Liem, a Boholano by affinity appeared on the scene as the internet expert for the confederation. He created a web page for the CONBUSAC. This web page has attracted many Boholanos from around the world who communicated with Mr. Liem.
Atty. Mag-aso, as the overall coordinator, added and made changes in some programming events so as to accommodate Boholanos who are not members of CONBUSAC. Instead of TOBAC, he changed it to TOBAW- The Outstanding Boholanos Around the World and Miss Bohol International instead of Miss CONBUSAC. The most important addition introduced by Narding Mag-aso was the International Forum which encouraged the provincial and city governments to promote their own program of investments for expatriates in Bohol. This forum resulted in the formation of an organization to handle and administer the gathering and reunion Boholanos from all over the world in Tagbilaran City every four years, revised later to every three years which is now popularly known as TBTK a short for Tigum Bol-anon sa Tibuok Kalibutan. The delegates to the seventh biennial convention elected Mr. Randy Gallardo of Los Angeles , California as the president of the confiederation.
The eight biennial convention was held in Las Vegas, Nevada sponsored by Boholanos of Las Vegas, Nevada (BLVN) led by Olympic Galon. Atty. Bernardo Mag-aso of New York won the election.
Through the leadership of Narding Mag-aso the ninth convention was brought back to Tagbilaran City sponsored by the Tagbilaranons of Eastern USA , (TOE-USA) He appointed Ms. Elizabeth V. Garcia then president of TOE-USA as the overall coordinator of the combined conventions of CONBUSAC and TBTK. It was Mag-aso who launched his pet project of improving the stock of cattle in Bohol by breeding the local cattle with hybrid ones through artificial insemination. This project was made possible with the cooperation of the provincial government and the Bohol Association of Texas Inc. (BATI) under its then president Shirley Enerio Camacho. One of the most significant accomplishment by Mag-aso was the ratification of the new constitution which paved the way to the present incorporated status of CONBUSAC. Lito Dano of Florida was elected president in this convention. Ang Kaliwat Bol-anon sa Florida won the bid to host the tenth biennial convention held in Tampa , Florida on July 29 - 31, 2005 led by its president Eden Dano. Under
Under the administration of Lito Dano he successfully pushed through the incorporation of the confederation as a non profit organization. The confederation is now officially named Confederation of Boholanos , USA and Canada Inc. or CONBUSAC Inc. Lito Dano having personally witnessed the cattle dispersal project initiated by Mag-aso, decided to pursue the said program which is now working successfully. The CONBUSAC under the leadership of Lito Dano donated medical and surgical supplies to Sikatuna Municipal Health Centre, extended financial assistance to calls of help including among among others, the Mabini cassava poisoning victims.
The confederation has been holding successful biennial conventions through all the years . The best is yet to come with the great potential membership of prosperous Boholanos scattered all over the US and Canada. And What about
the second generation of Boholanos, you may ask? There are now hundreds if not thousands of second generation folks who are now working as doctors, dentists, nurses, engineers, soldiers, etc. who could enhance the success of the confederation and therefore help in improving the lives of our less privilege Boholanos.
To be continued….
It all started in Alameda, California during the observance of the Golden Anniversary of Bohol Circle Inc. There could not have been a better place to start a confederation of Boholanos in USA and Canada considering that the Bohol Circle is the oldest Boholano organization if not one of the oldest Filipino organization in the U.S. At the planning stage of the Golden Anniversary, it was conceived to invite Boholano organizations in the United States. Through the leadership of its president Olympic Galon, the organization decided to hatch the plan as conceived with the purpose of getting acquainted with the rest of the Boholanos from other places.
On September 20 , 1986 prominent and great Boholano leaders from the West Coast of United States such as Olympic Galon, Rene Sumodobila, Loly Dano, Susan Maquindang, Alex Verano, Randy Gallardo, Fernando Albaran and many others gathered in the building owned by the Bohol Circle in Alameda, California. A convention was organized and the delegates elected Rene Sumodobila as the chairman. The convention deliberations produced outstanding accomplishment such as 1) Approved a set of convention rules 2.) Adopted a name for the organization as Confederation of Boholanos, non political in nature and open to all Boholano Organizations, at first only within the US and then later included Canada and individuals who do not belong to an organization for lack of locally organized association. 3) Introduced an official flag, 4) Adopted Awit sa Bohol as official song, 5.) Decided to have a follow-up convention in Los Angeles, California the following year.
In August 1987 , the follow-up convention was held at the Hilton Hotel in Los Angeles, California. Mr. Loly Dano was elected as chairman and invited Mnsgr. Felix Zafra, Bishop of the Diocese of Tagbilaran as the guest speaker. At this convention, it was decided that conventions be held every two years contemplating in mind that the intervening separation will give ample time for the delegates to prepare for travel between states and countries. At this meeting, parochial thinking confined only two vice presidential positions allocated in favour of the northern and southern California regions but expanded later to the present 10 regional vice presidents representing different regions of USA and Canada. The meeting also produced a decision that guaranteed hosting a convention in northern or southern California in case of failure to hold the same in another place. This prompted Johnny Torralba, then president of the Circulo Boholano of Illinois to declare his intention to host the next convention in Chicago.
Since its birth in Alameda California, the confederation took baby steps in completing itself as an organization and continued to hold its second biennial convention in Burr Ridge ( Chicago area ) Illinois. For the first time it elected a complete set of officers during which Loly Dano of Los Angeles, California was elected as president. The convention also elected four regional vice presidents representing northern and southern California, the Midwest and Canada. The guest speaker then was Gov. Constancio Torralba of Bohol province. Mr. Loly Dano then appointed lawyer Victor de la Serna to chair the committee to draft the constitution.
The third biennial convention was held in Don Valley, Toronto, Canada on Augusrt 4 - 6, 1991 chaired by Sunny Sunga and Loly Dano. This was sponsored by the local Boholano Organization in Toronto. Miss Edna Grajales of Scarborough, Ontario, Canada was crowned as the first Confederation Queen. The guest speakers were Governor Constancio Torralba and Congressman David Tirol. The work of De la Serna committee on the constitution ( entitled Articles of Confederation) was completed and the delegates voted to ratify it.
The fourth biennial convention was held in Meadowlands, New Jersey on August 6 to 8 , 1993. There were four important resolutions passed by the assembly chaired by Atty. Bernardo Mag-aso and Florencio Gulle. Behind the scenes, an agreement was forged between the medical mission to Bohol led by Dr Ramie Cadag and Dr. Pepe Recitas. At this convention, Mr. Roldan Sarmiento Sr. of Michigan was elected president.
The winning bid for the fifth biennial convention was Dearborn, Michigan hosted by Boholano sa Michigan Inc, (BOSAMI) led by its president Nemie Udtohan. During this convention , Dr. Nick Lopez was elected president. Dr. Lopez launched a project code named Bundle of Joy in which boxes of clothing were sent to deserving recipients in Bohol.
The sixth biennial convention was held in Houston, Texas on August 1 - 3 1997 sponsored by Bohol Association of Texas Inc. (BATI) This convention in Texas attracted a deluge of delegates from Bohol headed by then Governor Rene Relampagos. Dr. Nick Lopez was reelected, the first for reelecting a sitting president. Inspired by the huge number of delegates from Bohol he boldly proposed to the Council of Leaders ( the policy making body of the confederation consisting of the presidents of the member organizations and the appointed and elected officers of the confederation) to hold the next biennial convention in Tagbilaran City on July 19-25 1999. The proposal was overwhelmingly approved. At this time, Dr. Nick Lopez introduced two major events: The first Miss CONBUSAC Beauty Pageant and the first Ten Outstanding Boholanos in USA and Canada. (TOBAC) For the beauty pageant, he appointed Ms. Nena Migrino and Dr. Conrado Marapao Jr. to chair the event with Drs. Rhine and Chelo Pamaong as members while Ms.Susan Maquindang was named to head the Outstanding Boholanos Committee. Miss Armie Mariano representing Ang Kaliwat Bol-anon sa Florida won the title of Miss CONBUSAC. The beauty pageant fund raising event afforded the confederation to donate eleven brand new computers to different high schools in the province of Bohol.
The seventh biennial convention in Tagbilaran City took a lot of work for planning and coordinating between the governor of Bohol and the Mayor of Tagbilaran City. Dr. Nick Lopez appointed Bernardo Mag-aso a lawyer, educator and politician as the overall coordinator. At this moment in time, Mr. Chandra Liem, a Boholano by affinity appeared on the scene as the internet expert for the confederation. He created a web page for the CONBUSAC. This web page has attracted many Boholanos from around the world who communicated with Mr. Liem.
Atty. Mag-aso, as the overall coordinator, added and made changes in some programming events so as to accommodate Boholanos who are not members of CONBUSAC. Instead of TOBAC, he changed it to TOBAW- The Outstanding Boholanos Around the World and Miss Bohol International instead of Miss CONBUSAC. The most important addition introduced by Narding Mag-aso was the International Forum which encouraged the provincial and city governments to promote their own program of investments for expatriates in Bohol. This forum resulted in the formation of an organization to handle and administer the gathering and reunion Boholanos from all over the world in Tagbilaran City every four years, revised later to every three years which is now popularly known as TBTK a short for Tigum Bol-anon sa Tibuok Kalibutan. The delegates to the seventh biennial convention elected Mr. Randy Gallardo of Los Angeles , California as the president of the confiederation.
The eight biennial convention was held in Las Vegas, Nevada sponsored by Boholanos of Las Vegas, Nevada (BLVN) led by Olympic Galon. Atty. Bernardo Mag-aso of New York won the election.
Through the leadership of Narding Mag-aso the ninth convention was brought back to Tagbilaran City sponsored by the Tagbilaranons of Eastern USA , (TOE-USA) He appointed Ms. Elizabeth V. Garcia then president of TOE-USA as the overall coordinator of the combined conventions of CONBUSAC and TBTK. It was Mag-aso who launched his pet project of improving the stock of cattle in Bohol by breeding the local cattle with hybrid ones through artificial insemination. This project was made possible with the cooperation of the provincial government and the Bohol Association of Texas Inc. (BATI) under its then president Shirley Enerio Camacho. One of the most significant accomplishment by Mag-aso was the ratification of the new constitution which paved the way to the present incorporated status of CONBUSAC. Lito Dano of Florida was elected president in this convention. Ang Kaliwat Bol-anon sa Florida won the bid to host the tenth biennial convention held in Tampa , Florida on July 29 - 31, 2005 led by its president Eden Dano. Under
Under the administration of Lito Dano he successfully pushed through the incorporation of the confederation as a non profit organization. The confederation is now officially named Confederation of Boholanos , USA and Canada Inc. or CONBUSAC Inc. Lito Dano having personally witnessed the cattle dispersal project initiated by Mag-aso, decided to pursue the said program which is now working successfully. The CONBUSAC under the leadership of Lito Dano donated medical and surgical supplies to Sikatuna Municipal Health Centre, extended financial assistance to calls of help including among among others, the Mabini cassava poisoning victims.
The confederation has been holding successful biennial conventions through all the years . The best is yet to come with the great potential membership of prosperous Boholanos scattered all over the US and Canada. And What about
the second generation of Boholanos, you may ask? There are now hundreds if not thousands of second generation folks who are now working as doctors, dentists, nurses, engineers, soldiers, etc. who could enhance the success of the confederation and therefore help in improving the lives of our less privilege Boholanos.
To be continued….
